The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-26
Housafurnishing Suggestions.


Special to the Indianapolis journal
New YORK June 25.--At this season of the
year the wise housekeeper has carefully brushed
and put away the heavy draperies that add SO
much to the warmth and luxury in winter, and
like herself, arrayed in summer finery. are
her rooms arranged. Everything that will gather
dust or exclude the air should be removed and
it is astonishing how much more attractive a
room decked for summer is in the warm weather.
Most of the ornaments should be put away so
as to protect them from flies and dust and to
give the appearance of greater space. If
one has an alcove where portieres have hung all
winter, which looks too bare without any
thing, the Japanese bamboo portieres a
pretty summer substituts-"them whiplashes,"
as Joshua Whircomb calls them in that delightful
picture of New England life, .'The Old Home
stead" Another very pretty decoration for
top, like lambrequin. All the furniture
should be covered with slip covers. not only to
the furniture, but because it looks and
feels cooler. Formerly dark-gra linen was
used, bound with red blue braid, but, since
we have thought more of household decoration,
much taste and novelty is shown in this dree-
ton. Avoid the very heavy linen, as
it is apt to do the furniture more
harm than good by clubbing constantly
against the expensive fabric with which tre
furniture is already covered. A soft, rather
thin material is the best for the furniture, and
it laundries much better. l saw a room where
all the slip-covers were made of white gineham,
plalded off with yellow; in these days, when
white and gold are the colors par excellence for
drawing rooms, the effect very beautiful.
The gilt picture frames were covered with white
gauze. with rosettes of yellow gauze, and the gas
fixtures treated in the same way Blue
and white plaid Bingham, with more of the white
than the blue is pretty, and white SQUARED off
with pink is very beautiful. Plush-covered tables
are also covered to match the furniture, also
mantepieces
Another beautiful cover for furniture is Of
white dimity. made especially for these slip
covers, which design is stamped which is
worked In outline stitch. A sofa-cover that I
saw had bunch OF flowers, and underneath the
words REST for the Weary" Sofa pillows
covered the same way, the covers being laced on
each side with linen cord and tassels. pleas
ant Dreams" and other appropriate designs are
done in outline upon the pillow-covers. A
footstool had a white linen cover on
which was worked "'Touiour vos
pieds." By the way, if any young lady
desires to give her fance Christmas present of
her own workmanship. get piece of gold-colored
silk, and have it made up next winter at any
furniture dealers: it will make pretty fancy
work for the hotel piazza this summer and is
not difficult The motto is certainly appropri-
ate and if the eventful question has not yet been
asked by too diffident lover such a foot-stool
would be sure to bring him to the decisive mo-
ment. Tt would be meeting him half way, in a
suggestive but not unfeminine manner.
very pretty dado for summer may be made
by lacking one width of fine straw mating
lergthwise around the entire apartment. The
mating should be put just above the base
board. or they call them in Boston and
throughout New England ''mop- boards" The
mating is just wide enough to bring the top of
the dado at the proper distance from the floor
at the top of the mating where it is tackled on,
attach tiny upholstery fringe gimp, and use
gimp tacks or ornamental brass-headed tacks, IL
the floor is left perfectly bare or is covered with
the mating the effect of this dado is equally at
tractive a great many artists use the mating
dado in their studios, which proves that it Is
the correct thing in decoration.
EVELYN BAKER HARvIER.